A Parent's Nightmare
by broadwaycsi
Summary: A high school girl's basketball team drops dead player by player. It's like any ordinary case for Det. Stella Bonasera, unless one of those players maybe her own daughter.
1. Chapter 1

[b] A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first "crime"ish fanfic, so I'm still kinda getting used to it. If ever it gets confusing or you have a question feel free to review and I'll try to clarify it in the next update. Enjoy!

Carissa Bonasera was running her last lap around the gym, sweating like crazy but running at a fast, steady pace, when her mother walked into the gym. Stella always loved watching her daughter practice basketball and enjoyed watching her games, so she tried to make it to practice every day after work. She sat down and observed her daughter's performance in her practice time.

Carissa played the point guard position on St. Anne's Prepatory Academy's varsity basketball team. Seeing her daughter's perfect free throws and accurate passes made Stella so proud of her daughter. She was a tough girl, almost exactly like her mother. Carissa saw her mom after practice and ran up to her, all sweaty and panting.

"Great practice, girl!" Stella said and immediately hugged her daughter.

"Ew...mom...I'm all sweaty and disgusting! And thanks." Carissa replied while hugging her mother back.

"So, how about that pizza dinner I promised you? I got my entire night free just for that." Stella mentioned and nudged her daughter's arm.

"Oh, the dinner you promised about a month ago?" Carissa smirked. "Just kidding," Carissa said ,"Of course! I'm starving!"

"Carissa, this place better be good..." Stella warned.

"Mom, you've got nothing to worry about I have GREAT sense of food." Carissa said with a wink.

Mother and daughter both walked and talked all the way to the pizza diner. For Stella, she complained about work. For Carissa, she whined about missing her lay-ups. Stella loved her relationship with her daughter. She was a friend to her, not a nagging, old mother. Being an orphan from such a young age, it was difficult having that mother role empty. No one to talk to, no one to listen about your complaints, no one to even gush about the cutest boys in high school. She didn't want that with Carissa. And she was darn proud about what has become of her daughter.

"So this was the pizza place you've been raving about?" Stella questioned quite suspiciously. The diner was literally a hole-in-a-wall. Stella swore she would have missed it had Carissa kept talking and didn't notice the place. It was dark, crowded, and looked more like a hookah bar than an award-winning restaurant.

"Uh, yeah! Home of the thickest stuffed crust and voted best breadsticks in the entire city of New York, this is the place!" Carissa argued.

Stella reluctantly opened the door and was greeted to the fresh scent of pizza dough. Tomato sauce filled the air and the smell of garlic made Stella's mouth water.

"I guess I **should **be listening to your food recommendations more often." Stella joked.

Carissa and Stella were enjoying their huge pizza when Stella felt her phone vibrating. "Sorry, honey. It's work, I have to get this." Stella said. Her daughter sighed and did a famous teenage eye roll.

"Bonasera." Stella said.

"Stella, it's Mac. I need you to meet me here at St. Anne's Prepatory Academy immedietely." Mac said urgently.

"Mac, I was just there. What's going on?" Stella questioned. "A teenage girl was found dead. Her name's Cassie McDonald. Bring your kit and meet me here this instant!

"OK, I'll be there as soon as I can." Stella said and then hung up. She sighed and wondered how her daughter might react to this. She's been dying to spend some quality time with her, and when she finally got that day, it would end like this.

_I hope she won't get mad._ Stella thought as she walked back to face her daughter.

"So what was that all about?" Carissa asked.

"Hey, look I'm really sorry but that was Mac. A girl was found dead on your school actually. I'm sorry about ending this so early. I promise I'll make it up to you. Here are the keys, I think you should be heading home now. I'm sorry!" Stella said very rushed.

"It's...It' s OK, mom. Work's important. But what happened?" Carissa asked. "What happened at the school?" "A girl, um...Cassie McDonald's her name. She was found dead and look I really need to hurry..."Stella said and started to walk. "Cassie McDonald?" Carissa exclaimed, surprised.

"I just saw her about an hour ago, during practice. We're on the same basketball team!" Carissa said with a confused look.

"You know her?" Stella asked.

_Things just got a tad little more complicated now..._ Stella wondered.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hahaha...well I never really thought of Carissa having a dad...BUT for you SMacked fans out there, I think I know what you're hinting...*winkwink* :)

Anyways, here's the second chapter and once again, feel free to leave comments and questions if you feel confused.

~Enjoy!

* * *

Stella and Mac approached the body. Cassie's body lied limp atop a bench in the middle of a row of lockers.

"Poor girl, so much still ahead of her. Makes you feel grateful for every day you're still alive, huh?" Stella said to her partner.

"Definitely," Mac agreed, absolutely speechless of the life that was so innocently taken away.

They both processed the scene with remorse and reverence. Stella took detailed pictures of the victim's body position and Mac took some samples before they took her body away.

"No signs of bruising or assault. We have no witnesses who were here at the time, and with the law concerning no video cameras in locker rooms, it's going to be difficult if not impossible to see if anyone was in here the same time our vic was." Mac wondered.

Stella noticed her locker was still open.

"Look what we have here,"

Stella slowly walked to the locker and after taking a few pictures, she looked inside.

"What if she wasn't assaulted? Let 's take a look here: band-aids, sports tape, towels, lotion, deoderant, perfume,all those necessities, but look at this. A medicine bottle." Stella said.

"_' Take half a pill once a day.'_ is all it says. Handwritten. It doesn't even have a name on it." Stella noticed.

She opened the bottle to see that it was still full.

"It doesn't look like she's been using it, but I don't have a good feeling about this medication." Mac mentioned.

"Me either." Stella said and dropped it into an evidence bag.

"So we have this, no signs of assault, no suspects we can put on the scene, just a medicine bottle that seems untouched?" Mac wondered.

"We'll be seeing more once we find out the COD." Stella said.

* * *

Carissa began receiving text messages about Cassie's death. She knew Cassie very well:she was a great student in school who constantly fulfilled her high standards and her passion and attitude for basketball was remarkable. Whoever killed her was beyond reason and it broke Carissa's heart.

Suddenly, she remembered about what her coach told her,

_"Girls, in order to make it to the championships you must be in the best physical shape you have ever been. Keep working hard but in the meantime, I recommend that you guys try these natural supplements for you in order to maintain a normal body weight and good muscle mass. Follow the directions and we'll be making it to the finals in no time!"_ she remembers. Carissa immedietely took the bottle out of her bag. Making it to the championships was a big deal for her, and being in the best shape possible was definitely going to help.

* * *

Back at the crime lab, Sid was explaining the COD to Stella and Mac.

"Official COD of the victim was actually overdose. But I tested the pills that you found Stella to the one digested in her stomach contents. The pills you found weren't the lethal dose. Turns out your vic was on sleeping pills from what I found." Sid concluded.

"So I guess our basketball star died from OD, nothing related to anyone else."

"But Sid, what were those pills anyway?" Stella questioned.

"I don't know, Stel but I sent a sample up to tox. However, results may take up to a week, this drug is made up of too many little components and has to be analyzed thoroughly." Sid said.

With the medicine not being a match to the one's found at the scene, they felt like they had to start from square one to find out what happened. Why was Cassie on sleeping pills? With no forensic evidence, it was going to take much effort to get a lead on this case.

"I guess we're done here, thank you Sid." Mac said, relieving the silence.

* * *

As Stella and Mac were walking through the crime lab's halls, they wondered about Cassie and how her demise came about.

"I mean, how could a healthy, athletic girl just decide to OD on sleeping pills? Carissa mentioned a big game coming up and this just can't be a coincidence." Stella wondered out loud.

"I really don't know Stella, but why don't we start by questioning her parents? They should be able to tell us about Cassie's condition, and why she was on sleeping pills." Mac said.

"So you say we question our vic's parents about their daughter's little druggie rendezvous?" Stella asked.

"It's a start..." Mac suggested.


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't know why you Detectives always make the same conclusion, but if you had known Cassie, you would have NEVER thought about any of that!" Mr. McDonald yelled ferociously.

Stella was just interrogating the McDonald's about Cassie; if they had noticed anything weird or unusual. Like always, they constantly denied the fact that Cassie must have OD'd on sleeping pills, there was someone out there who killed their precious daughter.

"I understand, Mr. McDonald, but it's just a simple question, was Cassie ever contemplating committing suicide or such? Did you notice any strange behavior, at least, from your daughter?" Stella asked once more.

Mac sighed as Mr. McDonald growled at Stella's persistant questioning. Mac turned on the speakerphone and ordered Stella to stop.

Stella walked out, disappointed.

"Mac, I can't get anything out of them. They can't get out of that mentality about Cassie being the most happiest daughter they can ever have. They're sticking to their story about someone doing this to her. That there was nothing wrong with Cassie, that she wasn't drinking all those sleeping pills." Stella said.

"We have forensic evidence that shows Cassie's official COD. I want to believe them and say Cassie was a happy girl, but all evidence is against it." Mac argued.

"I don't know about you, Mac but as a mother, I would just somehow feel that something's wrong with Carissa. The good thing is that she would tell me everything! I honestly can't figure out how a parent could just slip by their child's odd behavior."

"Maybe you're right, Stel." Mac said.

"How about I look through her gym bag, once again, see what I can find?" Stella suggested.

* * *

Stella dumped the bag out of the evidence box quickly and began to take out every single item that was in it. Knee pads, sports tape, a clean towel and other things came up but a secret pocket hidden along the side of the bag caught Stella's attention. She found dozens of small papers, some torn up some still attached with what seemed to be Cassie's thoughts.

"'_Sometimes, I wish this was all over.'_

_'How could it be that one moment, I'm loving my life and the next, I wish it ended?'_

_'I feel like basketball is keeping me alive, nothing else.'_

_'One of these days, I'll go to sleep and somehow, never wake up.'" _Stella read.

"Stella??" Mac said, quite worried.

"Oh Mac, hi. I'm....just....reading some of these papers I found in Cassie's gym bag from the scene. Take a look at them." Stella said, while glancing over the melancholy papers to Mac.

_"'I wonder why all the happiness will never be able to affect me?'" _Mac quoted.

"I don't know about you, Mac but these notes are the pure image of contemplating suicide. I can't believe I never noticed it! Hell, I can't believe her parents never noticed it!" Stella said with a tone of disappointment.

"Hey, Stel it's cool. At least we have some evidence to show to Cassie's parents." Mac said.

Stella snapped her fingers and said "I knew something strange had to be going on..."

"With these papers as evidence, I think it's time the McDonald's took a glance to empathize with Cassie's feelings." Mac pointed out.

* * *

Mac and Stella had to go through the agonizing process of getting through the McDonald's stubborn heads.

"Look, detectives, this is the third time we've been here, and I want to put this to rest. Can't you just accept it and close this case?" Mr. McDonald said.

"No," Mac answered firmly, " Not until you see how your child truly felt when she died." Mac slammed the pictures of Cassie's suicidal notes onto the table, and right at an angle where the McDonald's could perfectly see the writings.

Mrs. McDonald burst into tears as her husband read the words out loud.

Stella interrupted the sobbing.

"How could you be so ignorant in your child's life?! How could a parent watch their kid slowly die and fade away right in front of your very own eyes? How could you not have noticed Cassie's feelings and why didn't you do anything about it?!" Stella said furiously.

"You're not going to arrest us, are you?" Mr. McDonald said.

"Of all things, you're worried about your own damn selves," Stella spat back. She leaned forward on the table and looked Cassie's parents in the eyes and said, "And to answer your question, No. We can't arrest you, even though I would sure as hell already did, but I hope you will live with the consequences and that you never forget what poor parents you were to an innocent, young child." Stella said forcefully, and walked out the room.

Mac saw Stella sitting quietly in her office, the distraught look on her face obviously showed signs of worry.

Mac knocked on the door and Stella looked up.

"May I come in?" He asked through the slighly ajar glass doors.

"Oh, sure." Stella answered, and continued typing away on her computer.

"Look, I know this case is bothersome to you, Stella, but you just have to let it go." Mac suggested.

"Mac, you have no idea how scary it must be, to not know what your child is thinking, what they may be going through." Stella started to say.

"But you just said that you never worried about your relationship with Carissa?" Mac asked.

"I know, but I can't help but look at the McDonald's and think, 'That could happen to me, as well'" Stella wondered.

"Stella, it's not going to happen. You and Carissa have an wonderful relationship. Cherish it!" Mac said.

"Thanks Mac." Stella said with a smile.

* * *

Carissa was on the kitchen table, a place that was regularly used for homework, rather than eating. It was quiet, but Stella was just sitting all alone on the couch.

"Hey Carissa, can I ask you something, dear?" Stella asked.

"Sure, Mom. What's up?" She replied, not lifting a single eye from the paper.

"Would you ever tell me if you... you know... felt sad or angry or any kind of extravagant emotion that took over your life drastically?" Stella wondered.

"MOM!" Carissa yelled.

"What? I mean, I was wondering about this case and I couldn't help but think of what would happen if I was so distant from you. Of course I might not lose you entirely, but I'd hate to think that I would lose some part of you...you know?" Stella said quietly.

Carissa turned around to face her mother. "Mom, I love you. You know that! Nothing would ever rip apart our relationship. I never hid anything from you and I'm always open to what you want to talk about. Why are you worried about this?" Carissa asked with a confused and scrunched up face.

"Nothing....I'm not worried about anything it's just that," She sighed. "Ever since your father was out of the picture, I was always worried about how you'd grow up. How having only a mother in your life would affect you. I was scared, Carissa. And looking at this case, a girl with TWO parents who couldn't care less about their child just makes me cringe! I love you, too Carissa, and I'm glad that...you know..you'd always talk to me about anything. I like that." Stella said with a slight smile.

There was silence before Carissa spoke up.

"Mom, you sound like those corny mothers on T.V., please don't do this to me..." She started to laugh.

Pretty soon, Stella started to laugh about how she really did resemble one of those mothers and they were both having a great time.

But soon, Stella's phone rang.

"Bonasera."

Carissa slowed down her giggles while waiting for her mother to finish up her call. From the looks on her face, it wasn't going to be good.

"OK, I'll be there as soon as I can. Bye." She flipped her phone off and sighed.

"What was that all about?" Carissa asked.

"Looks like they found another body. Another girl on your basketball team."

* * *

A/N: Sorry it kinda got a little off-topic in this chapter, the idea just popped into my head about Cassie and her parents and all. :) I'll be going back to the original storyline within the next few chapters and this case is done. :D anyways...hope you liked it and stay tuned!


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